Card press



.Dec, 9, 19.41. 5 y A. E. MORTIMER lL-z-i' AL 2,265,778

GARD P'msss Filed March 4, 1939 y 2 sheets-smeet 1 .5X we Patented Dec.9, 1941 I :ICE I CARD PRESS tlnu E. Mortimer andi JohnSampson Francis,Los Angeles, Calif.; said Mortimer assignorto said Francis 2 Claims.

Our invention relates toa card press and has for itsprincipal object,the provision of a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive devicethat may be conveniently employed for receiving and holding underpressure, one or more decks ofplaying cards and the use of which cardpress adds materially to the life or periods of service of the decks ofcards that are contained in the press while not in use.

Frther objects of our invention are, to provide a card press that iscompact in structure, capable of being readily manipulated to permit theinsertion and removal of the decks of cards and further, to provide acard press wherein the developed pressure is uniformly distributedthroughout all of the decks of cards that are positioned in the press.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, our invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts thatwill be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a card press constructed in accordancewith our invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line ll-ll of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig.- 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view looking against the rear side of the cardpress.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one end of the main frame of the cardpress.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, IB and Ildesignatethe end walls or panels of the press, which walls are preferablyrectangular in form and have dimensions slightly greater than thedimensions of the conventional playing cards. These end walls may bemade from any suitable material, but in order to add to the appearanceof the press we prefer to form these end walls from hardened plasticmaterial which may be colored and finished as desired.

End wall I is provided on its inner face with a recess I2 and projectingfrom the body of the wall into said recess are studs I3 disposed oneabove the other. The other end wall or panel II is provided on its innerface with a recess .I4 and formed in the center of said wall or panel isa circular aperture I5'.

A substantially rectangular skeleton frame,

preferably formed of sheet metal, is disposed between the end walls Illand Il with the ends of said frame positioned in Ythe recesses I2 andIt. This skeleton includes a bottom plate I6 formed from suitable sheetmetal and provided with longitudinally disposed ribs I'I'in order toincrease its stiffness and rigidity. A similar plate lprovided withlongitudinallyl disposed reinforcing ribs I9 forms* the upper member ofthe skeleton frame and secured to and projectingv upwardly fromA theVcentral portion of the upper'plate I8 is a handle 2! which maybe of anydesired size and configuration.

The ends of the plates I6 and I8 that occupy the recess I2 in end wallIt! are secured in any suitable manner 'to flanges 2I that are formed onthe upper and lower edges of an end plate 22, the latter beingpreferably formed from suitable sheet metal and provided on its verticaledges with flanges 23.

In order to simplify the connections of theends of plates I6 and I8 tothe end plate 22, ears 24 are struck from the material forming the topand bottom plates at the ends thereof and these ears are insertedthrough corresponding apertures 25 that are formed in the flanges 2l andthe ends of said ears that project through said apertures are presseddownwardly against the surfaces of the flanges, thus providing strongand rigid connepctions withoutv involving the use of screws, rivets andthe like. .Plate 22l is rigidly secured to end wall I0 by means ofscrews 26 that pass through said plate into the studs I3.

The ends of the plates I6 and I8 opposite the ends that are connected toplate 22 areV rigidly connected to the upper and lower ends vof a metalplate 2l that is dished both vertically and horizontally so as toprovide a low or flat pyramid or cone that projects inwardly or towardthe plate 22.

The vertical and horizontal edges of this dished plate 21 are providedwith integral flanges 28 and formed therein are apertures 29, similar tothe apertures 25' and which receive ears 3B' similar to ears 24 andwhich are struck from the ends of plates I6 and I8 that overlie theupper and lower flanges of the dished plate.

The space between the top and bottom plates I3` and I6 is adapted toreceive the packs of cards C that are placed in the press and said packsare separated by plates 3l, preferably formed from hardened plasticmaterial, hard wood or the like and having practically the same lengthand width as a standard playing card. In order to support the insertedpacks of cards and separator plates 3|, a pair of spaced horizontallydisposed rails 32 are arranged between the end plates 22V and'2'I on therear side of the press, the ends of said rails extending through slots33 that are formed in said plates 22 and 2l and those portions of saidrails that project through said plates bear against the adjacent sideanges23 and 28 (see Figs. 3 and' 7).

Disposed within the press just inside the dished plate 21 is a pressureplate or block 34 in the outer face of which is formed a recess 35. Thispressure block is preferably formed of hardened plastic material andpositioned in the recess 35 in said block is a plate 316, preferably ofsheet metal, provided on its edges with flanges 31 that bear on the sideand end faces of the recess 35.

A plate 38, preferably of sheet metal, provides aclosure for the recess35 and said cover plate is secured to lugs 39 that project into therecess from the body of the pressure plate 34 by means of screws 40.Formed in the central portion of plate 35 is a depression 4I thatreceives the head 42 of a screw 43, which latter projects outwardlythrough an opening 44 in cover plate 38 and said screw also passesthrough a threaded aperture 45 that is formed in the apex of the dishedplate 21.

Mounted on the outer end of screw 43 is a block 46, either square ornon-circular in cross section, and said block is arranged for slidingmovement in a square or non-circular metal tube 41. This tube isembedded in the shank portion 48 of an operating handle 49 and securedon the shank 48, preferably by being pressed thereupon, is a metalsleeve 50, the inner end of which is flanged outwardly as designated by30a against a flange that is formed integral with the inner face of endwall or plate II around the opening I therein.

Opening I5 provides a bearing for the shank portion 48 of the handle andthe sleeve 50 that is carried thereby and the inner ends of the tube 41and shank 48 that project a short distance inwardly from the flange 38abear against a thrust washer 5I that is positioned against the centralportion of the convex face of the dished plate 21.

Dished plate 21 is suitably secured to the end wall or plate II,preferably by means of screws that pass through said dished plate andenter lugs that are formed integral with the inner face of plate I I andwhich structure is somewhat similar to the screws 26 that enter lugs I3for the purpose of securing plate 22 to the end wall or plate I0.

A dished plate 21 provides a housing that covers the thrust washer 5Iand the inner end portions of shank 48, sleeve 50 and tube 41.

The head 42 of screw 43 is provided with a convex outer face which bearsin the concave depression 4I and such structure provides a universaljoint connection between the inner end of screw 43 and pressure plate 34so that the latter may swing freely for a limited distance in alldirections and, therefore said plate is self-adjusting with respect tothe cards that are placed in the press.

As a result of the construction just described, the handle 49, its shank48 and sleeve 50 may be rotated in the bearing provided by the apertureI5 and the flange surrounding same and as the block 48 on the outer endof screw 43 engages in the square or non-circular tube 41, said blockand screw will be rotated and at the same time they will movelongitudinally relative to the operating handle, by reason of the factthat the screw 43 has threaded engagement with the center or apex of thedished plate 21. Thus, when handle 49 is manipulated so as to move thescrew 43 inwardly, the head carried by the inner end of said screw willbear on plate 36 to move the same and pressure plate 34 inwardly,thereby exerting pressure on the packs of cards that are positioned inthe press and which are separated by the plates 3|.

Thus, a plurality of packs of cards may be placed in the press andmaintained under pressure while not in use and, as a result, the life orperiod of service of the cards will be greatly increased as compared tocards that are not subjected to pressure while not in use.

It will be understood that when the handle 49, its shank 48 and sleeve50 are manipulated, said parts rotate in the bearing formed by theaperture I5 and the ange surrounding the same without movinglongitudinally.

Plate 21 is dished in order to produce suiiicient stiffness and rigidityto resist and distribute evenly the strains and stresses that areimparted to said plate and the frame of which said plate is a part,while the screw is being moved inwardly to apply pressure to the packsof cards positioned in the device between the separator plates 3|.

Thus it will be seen that we have produced a card press that isrelatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture and veryeffective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form andconstruction of the various parts of our improved card press, may bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described, withoutdeparting from the spirit of our invention, the scope of which is setforth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

l. In a card press, the combination with an integral frame comprising atop plate, a handle secured to the central portion of said top plate, abottom plate, a pair of end plates, a pair of rails connecting said endplates on one side of the frame, the opposite side of the frame beingopen, one of which end plates is dished inwardly, of a pressure platearranged for movement within said frame adjacent said dished plate, areinforcing plate embedded in said pressure plate, which reinforcingplate is dished toward said dished end plate, a cover plate applied tothe end of the frame over said dished plate, a member mounted forrotation in said cover plate, a screw passing through said dished endplate, the outer portion of which screw has sliding engagement with themember that is mounted for rotation and the inner end of which screwbears against the central portion of the dished reinforcing plate insaid pressure plate.

2. In a card press, the combination with an integral frame comprising atop plate, a handle secured to the central portion of said top plate, abottom plate, a pair of end plates, a pair of rails connecting said endplates on one side of the frame, the opposite side of the frame beingopen, one of which end plates is dished inwardly, of a pressure platearranged for movement within said` frame adjacent said dished plate, areinforcing plate embedded in said pressure plate, which reinforcingplate is dished toward said dished end plate, a cover plate applied tothe end of the frame over said dished plate, a member mounted forrotation in said cover plate, a screw passing through said dished endplate, the outer portion of which screw has sliding engagement with themember that is mounted for rotation and a universal joint between theinner end of said screw and the central portion of the dishedreinforcing plate in said pressure plate.

ARTHUR E. MORTIMER. JOHN SAMPSON FRANCIS.

